Notice of Intent to Award to a Single Source - InChl Trust Membership

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Library of Medicine (NLM) National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) plans to procure, on a sole source basis, an annual membership from InChl Trust from:

INCHI TRUST LTD.

Flat 26

Twickenham Ct, Arbury Rd

Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB4 2HX

The response close date of the notice for this requirement is in accordance with FAR 5.101(d). This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 – Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services and will be made pursuant to the authority in
FAR Part 12 and is exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6. The North American Industry Standard Classification System code is 513210 and the business size standard is $47 Million.

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) seeks to renew the annual membership of InChl Trust. InChl Trust membership enables unfettered access to the InChl standard - software that is critical to NCBI’s mission in the area of chemistry. 

Specifically, the InChI digital standard or software provided by InChl Trust enables access to the chemical identifier approved by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) as a unique digital standard for chemistry. This standard for small molecule “sameness” determination using a simple linear string has no alternative worldwide This is “THE” standard for small molecule “sameness” determination using a simple linear string.  There is no alternative that is an international standard.  It is under the auspices of IUPAC, which is “THE” chemistry standards organization. 

The InChI provides a backbone within chemical information to detect when two molecules are the same, and where one can consider this at different degrees of sameness.  It is used throughout the chemical information industry as a primary identifier for discrete small molecules by researchers, publishers, pharmaceutical companies, regulators (e.g., FDA, EPA), data scientists, and more.  The InChI standard is being actively expanded as the IUPAC InChI Subcommittee designs and approve specifications for extensions. Chemists and data scientists must translate existing chemical standards into the digital space, to support the chemistry community, and therefore adoption of this standard is mission-critical to the NCBI Chemistry Program and to all collaborators. Further, NCBI requires vendor assistance with extending the standard and applying it to new areas of need such as reactions, and mixtures. The InChI digital standard is a key part of the FAIR data ecosystem, enabling information exchange and interoperability within chemistry and to connect chemistry with other disciplines. Without InChl trust membership, the NCBI Chemistry Program will be unable to: receive timely updates; have a say in the direction, priorities, and timelines of the project; be involved in the critical project discussions; and demonstrate leadership to the scientific community in open/FAIR scientific data.  If NIH drops out of the InChI Trust, it will be viewed as a signal by other participants whereby a snowball effect results in other paying participants also dropping out, thereby decreasing the viability of this critical chemistry standard. 

This notice is not a request for competitive quotations. However, if any interested party, especially a small business, believes it can meet the Government’s needs, it may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quote for the government to consider. The response and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain sufficient details to allow NLM to determine if the party can perform the requirement. Responses to this notice shall be submitted to Contracting Officer, Bryan Dankanich, at bryan.dankanich@hhs.gov no later than 12:00 P.M. EST on Friday, January 23, 2026 (01/23/26). A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. The Government reserves the right to use the information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. To receive an award, Contractors must be registered and have a valid certification through SAM.GOV. Please reference the notice number 75N97026Q00002 on all correspondence.